1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heater assembly, and, more particularly to a heater assembly used to maintain fluid within a fluid conduit at a predetermined elevated temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to use a heater to maintain a fluid flowing within a conduit or pipe at a temperature above the freezing point of the fluid being transported. For example, it is known to wrap a heat tape around the periphery of a water pipe to inhibit the water within the pipe from freezing. The heat tape is typically held in place using adhesive tape, cable ties or other devices for suitably attaching the heat tape to the pipe. The heat tape includes a resistance heater wire therein which is operatively controlled using a bi-metal thermostatic switch.
A problem with using a conventional heat tape to heat a fluid within a fluid conduit or pipe is that the heat tape is disposed on the outside of the pipe and is susceptible to mechanical damage rendering the heat tape inoperable and/or causing an electrical shorting condition. Another problem is that such a conventional heat tape comes in standard lengths (e.g., 1 foot, 2 foot, 4 foot, etc.). An inexperienced user may wrap the heat tape in a spiral manner about the pipe in one direction, and if the end of the pipe is reached, reverse the spiral wrap direction of the heat tape such that the heat tape overlaps itself. Overlapping the heat tape may result in melting of the plastic which carries the heater wire, which in turn may result in an electrical shorting condition. Moreover, if the segment of fluid conduit or pipe is relatively short, a heat tape may not be commercially available which is short enough to wrap around the periphery of the pipe without the aforementioned problem associated with overlapping the heat tape.
What is needed in the art is a heater assembly which may be used to maintain a fluid flowing within a fluid conduit above a predetermined temperature. What is further needed in the art is a heater assembly for heating a fluid within a fluid conduit which is not susceptible to physical damage and which is always placed at the same location relative to the flowing fluid to eliminate installation errors by a user.